Merci Gumusifu (right) at the Women’s Center Photo: Helen Sweitzer
There are more refugees in the world today than at any point since the Second World War. For those refugees who are mothers, daughters, and sisters, they have the added calamity of frequently being the target of violence and abuse. Only a small portion of refugee women will ever be resettled to another country, but once in another country like the United States they begin the arduous task of adapting to a new home and way of life.
For over ten years, the Church World Service affiliate office, RefugeeOne, has succeeded in responding to the needs of refugee women resettled to Chicago, Illinois. RefugeeOne, along with Catholic Charities, developed a program that provides a vital space – a women’s center – to decrease social isolation, encourage English language practice and boost confidence.
“The women love it,” reflects Helen Sweitzer, Senior Manager, Adjustment Program for RefugeeOne. “They are so proud of what they have accomplished when they participate at the center. And things like knitting and making crafts can be very therapeutic.”
The women’s center offers job skills classes, language sessions and activities that include knitting, crafts and yoga. Most importantly, the woman’s center is a safe space for all women to receive the support and care that can enrich their transition to the United States.
“The women’s center has exposed me to classes, culture and friends,” reflects Merci Gumusifu, a refugee who fled the Democratic Republic of Congo and lived in a refugee camp in Uganda for three years before moving to Chicago in 2014. “The center is a good school and helps us live into our new life. It is a place for women to be comfortable and work together as a team. I have met a lot of friends from different countries all over the world. Everyone who wants to can come, all are invited.”
Although the center has been around for many years, a recent partnership with Berry United Methodist Church in the Lincoln Square community of Chicago has enabled a new beginning for the program. An UMCOR Refugee Ministry grant supported the new launch of the center, which was celebrated with a grand opening last month.
“We heard that the women’s program needed a new home and at that very same time the preschool that had been renting the space had just moved out. It all happened at just the right time,” reports Berry UMC Pastor Rev. Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger. “We repainted and decorated the space in preparation for the opening and now the space has a whole new life.”
“The question for us now,” reflects Rev. Birkhahn-Rommelfanger, “is how can Berry UMC and RefugeeOne expand our partnership?”
The congregation already has a few ideas. Over the course of the next year, the church is committed to having one third of their members volunteer at the center. They are also planning to assist with providing meals and childcare as a means of supporting the women.
“With our new home at Berry UMC, we don’t feel like we are just renting the space, we feel like we are part of the church,” says Helen of RefugeeOne. “This is not only good for our clients, it is good for the entire community and we are all eager to see how it develops.”